Hearts of Palm Nutrition Notes by Natalie

Do you remember a time when salads were simple? Cress Salad Lettuce, tomato, and maybe a few shredded carrots. This refreshing salad combines hearts of palm with Simply labeled a “house salad”, these once traditional watercress, tomatoes, salty olives, and juicy navel appetizers have evolved into signature entrees. oranges. Loaded with toppings, salads today have so many options to choose from. One of my favorites is “hearts Low Fat Dip of palm.” Canned hearts of palm blended with olive oil, lime zest, Hearts of palm, also known as “squash cabbage”, is a and garlic. delicious, crunchy vegetable harvested from the center of the cabbage palm tree. Though it resembles white Caribbean Salad asparagus, the flavor is much more delicate. Rich in Three whole navel oranges added to tomatoes, protein, high in fiber, and low in fat, it is an obvious watercress, and yummy hearts of palms dressed with a choice to accompany just about any type of salad. cilantro vinaigrette made with 1 Tablespoon red wine Usually boiled and processed before consumption, it is vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, ½ cup of olive oil, ⅔ cup highly perishable yet boasts a wide array of unique cilantro leaves, 1 Tablespoon of shallots, and 3 health and nutrient benefits. Tablespoons of lemon juice.

It is rare for a vegetable to be high in protein, but this Crab less Crab Cakes one is, so it can easily be used as a substitute for meat in just about any meal. Proteins are essential to our When chopped, hearts of palm break down into shreds diet and come in many varieties, but not all are created that look like fresh crab meat. Add a ¼ cup of vegan equal. Some proteins are of “higher” quality than mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, ¼ cup of others and that has a lot to do with their makeup. Put minced green bell peppers and onion, 2 ½ cups of fresh simply, proteins are composed of both essential and corn kernels, 2 Tablespoons of parsley, and 2 teaspoons non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids must of Old Bay seasoning. Coat with bread crumbs and fry be consumed in the diet, whereas non-essential ones up in a Tablespoon of olive oil. are made by the body. As you might guess, it is not Brazilian Salad easy to find a food that contains each and every one of the essential amino acids, but surprisingly this amazing Two cans of hearts of palm sliced in rounds, 1 large vegetable really delivers. High in potassium and B6, it avocado, ½ cup of sweet onion, 1 cup of yellow cherry also plays an important role in heart health because tomatoes, a whole squeezed lime and lime zest, ¼ cup potassium helps trigger your heart to release blood to of parsley. Toss with 2 Tablespoons of mayo and 2 the rest of your body and maintains blood pressure. In Tablespoons of canola oil and a taste of salt and pepper. fact, just one serving of hearts of palm provides over Quinoa, Artichoke, and Heart of Palm Salad 60% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin B-6. Combine a cup and a half of cooked quinoa with 2 Trying to describe its flavor is difficult, but I find that it medium diced artichoke hearts, four canned hearts of satisfies my craving for salt, probably from the brining palm sliced, one small red and yellow diced bell pepper. process. But for those of you who watch your salt Toss with ¼ cup of white wine vinegar, ½ cup avocado intake, don’t worry, it’s not too high, just around 100 or olive oil, and the juice of a ½ of a lemon. Serve on mg per serving. Try out some of these recipe ideas if top of rinsed lettuce leaves. you want to work this amazing and versatile vegetable into your diet.

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